Sunday’s defeat to Hearts wasn’t an ideal start for Wilfried Nancy at Celtic.
But for now, that’s all it is. Thursday’s Europa League meeting with Roma would be an ideal place to begin rectifying it, but it will be far from easy.
Plenty of noise has surrounded the new Celtic boss, particularly regarding Nancy’s use of a tactics board and some of his post-match comments.
It’s classic Scottish football. And if there’s one thing that Nancy can do to silence it all, it’s start winning games.
Speaking ahead of the showpiece clash with the Italian giants, Nancy was asked about the exact outside noise.
How are your first impressions of Wilfried Nancy?
Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images
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Celtic boss Wilfried Nancy on outside noise ahead of Roma clash
Celtic lost the game 2-1, having changed their in-possession set-up to a back three.
Despite chances for Daizen Maeda, Luke McCowan and Arne Engels on the day, the league leaders were the more clinical of the sides.
READ MORE: Celtic legend Shunsuke Nakamura set for controversial new step in coaching career
Wilfried Nancy – Credit: Celtic FC
Speaking at his presser ahead of his first European game as a coach, Nancy was questioned on the outside noise.
He said: “I’m gonna be really honest with you. Every team that I coach, when I had the opportunity to become a coach, I was an assistant coach for seven years. So I’ve worked with many coaches.
“I always told myself: ‘When you become a coach, cut everything.’ So this is what I did. On Twitter, I cut everything regarding my name, regarding the club, regarding what people can say.
“Because they have the right to say something. This is part of the job. That’s why we study for that.
“And after that, I’m not here to comment on everything. We can go to the restaurant, and maybe you’re gonna say that you like the food, and I’m gonna say I don’t like it. You understand what I mean?
“So, at the end of the day, this is part of the job. And me, I control what I control. I can do good with my players, with my club, with the people that I work with, to maximise our chances to win games.
Celtic’s predicted XI against AS Roma
What changes would you make to Celtic’s XI for Europa League clash against AS Roma?
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